Heavenly Raider
by Psycho anime sweetheart
Summary: While stuck on Yamatai Lara falls down a hole that leads into an unknown cave with a mysterious object. But the moment she unravels the cloth around the object, the more she unravels her own destiny. A destiny with a special friend.


**Authors note:**

 **Hey guys**

 **Look this is my first story so please when/if you leave a comment please remember the difference between a suggestions and roasting. So please don't roast me.**

 **Reviews are accepted though and I really encourage you to leave them. ENJOY!**

 **P.S. I may use the same words over and over again but don't worry the habits gone (a bit)**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Mystery object**

Yamatai

Cold air feels like shattered glass on Lara's face and every step she takes in the deep white snow pulls her more and more closer to the ground. The coldness of the mountain hit her so bad that she started to shiver violently, causing her teeth to chatter vigorously and almost every part of her body to go numb. How she wished for warmer clothing in a comfortable bed having a sip on some lovely hot chocolate just to warm herself up. Although she wanted to keep her mind on warm, happy thoughts she had to stay vigilant. One wrong move and its all over. Snapping out of it she hides behind a crate carefully taking aim of the guard in front of her. She takes the string of her bow and slowly pulls it back. Once the arrow is perfectly positioned on her target, she releases the string which sends the arrow flying towards its mark. To her dismay the guard slightly moves his head which causes the arrow to deeply graze the side of his head. He holds the deep bleeding wound screaming in pain. With eyes full of rage he looks for the what or who caused his suffering. He spots Lara behind the crate and immediately calls for back up. Lara then stands up and runs away as fast as her half frozen legs could. She didn't know where to go or where to hide but as long as she was away from that area she didn't care. She runs like the wind, swiftly dodging all the attacks from the angry soldiers. From flaming arrows to silver bullets, nothing was going to affect the born survivor. When she nears the the semi stable bridge leading to her freedom she suddenly slips on ice covered metal which sends her sliding into a deep, narrow tunnel. In the tunnel she tries her best to avoid jaggered rocks by sliding right or left in the opposite direction. The more darker it gets in tunnel the more difficult it is to dodge sharp dangerous rocks. Lara was soon completely consumed by darkness leaving her to only hope for a not so painful landing. After what seemed like an eternity she soon hits the ground in a dark cave with a huge thud.

" That hurt." she says rubbing her painful bottom.

She then stands up, dusting herself off and takes out a lighter and a wooden torch to light up the cave. Once her torch is lit she takes a look around the cave trying to find a way out. On her search she notices a mysterious large object propped up against the wall. It was covered in an old, dirty cloth. _'Hmm... must be an antique.'_ Curious Lara walks toward it to get a better look. Once she gets near it the hidden object begins to glow a faint red. She slowly reaches her hand out and carefully starts to unravel the cloth on the object. Webs and dust begin to fly off the cloth the more she removes it. When all the cloth is removed she finds out that the mystery object is actually a huge sword.

"Wow." she says interested in the intricate detail of the sword.

The large sword is made out of steel shaped in an unusual matter. The handle is covered in thin cloth however it was'nt as heavily wrapped like the sword was when she first found it. The side of the sword has an engraving written in ancient text. Using her knowledge of ancient writing she translates the text into english.

" Heavenly sword." she reads out. " Why does that sound familiar?"

All of a sudden the flame of her torch mysteriously goes out which startles her a bit. She gets a bit agitated now that her only source of light was the glow of the sword. She then sighs and tries to light up the torch again. After a few tries she furiously throws the lighter on the floor grunting in irratation

"Great!" she says sarcastically.

To her disappointment the glow of the sword also starts to fade away.

" No, no no no, you can't go out, you're my last chance." she says pleading to the sword.

Eventually the glow fades away and she is once again left in the dark. Now what is she going to do. All her friends are in danger on the island and she is stuck alone in a dark cave unable to help them. She falls to her knees crying, knowing that this is all her fault. She could'nt think of a plan or a way of escaping, all she could do is sit on the floor and cry. With horrible thoughts passing in and out her mind a faint glow starts to appear in front of her. With teary eyes she lifts up her head and stares wide-eyed at the glow. A mixture of amazement and horror runs through her head when the glow starts forming a shape. The glow starts to form the shape of a human. Lara immediately stands up wiping away her tears and quickly takes out her pistol to defend herself. She was amazed to see the glow change into a beautiful woman wearing white, short warrior clothes and has mane of red hair. She has flawless skin and a perfect figure. The woman slowly opens her eyes to stare at the fearless woman aiming at her.

" W-Who are you!" Lara asks still aiming the gun at her

" Don't worry I won't harm you." The woman says holding out her hand signaling for Lara to put her gun down.

" That doesn't answer my question. Who are you." She demands putting her index finger on the trigger just waiting to pull.

" I am Nariko. The last former wielder of the Heavenly Sword." She says.

* * *

 **I hope it was ok for my first chapter but please stay tuned**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: The lady with the red hair.**

" I am Nariko. The last former wielder of the Heavenly Sword." She says

That's when Lara remembered the story.

" The Legend of the Heavenly Sword. I read about this. You were the heroine who saved your people from the Raven King, right? she asks

" Personally I don't see myself as heroine but yes I did save my people using that sword behind you. So you can put your put your weapon down." she says staring at the gun

She hesitates to put it down but soon abides.

" T-This is crazy, I must be seeing things. The dark is just messing with my head." Lara says putting her hands on both sides on her head.

" How so?"

" There is no way that a goddess from long ago just appeared right in front of me from some random glow." she says

" I can assure that this real and that our situation is very serious." Nariko says

" What do you mean?" Lara asks with a worried tone

" The reason why I'm here is to warn you not to use the sword. It is a terrible curse that will destroy anyone who wields it. That is why it was hidden away from society for so many years." she says.

" Heh... have you seen the size of that thing, believe me I'm not going to be using it anytime soon." Lara says jokingly

Nariko has a breath of relief knowing that sword won't be used again to hurt people but her moment of peace is short lived when they both hear faint murmurs coming from above. Lara then starts to panic.

" Oh no, they found me." she says grabbing her gun preparing to fight.

" Who has?" Nariko asks worried

" People from the island who are not really fond of me."

" If they come here then the sword is in danger." she says starting to panic as well. _'Now what am I going to do.'_ she thinks. "Wait! You can hide the sword."

" What?!" she says looking at her in confusion.

Nariko puts her hands on Lara's shoulders and looks at her with worry.

" Please, I know this is all very sudden but its the only way the sword won't get used again. Both Kai and I wasted our lives trying to protect the sword from evil people. Please don't let our death be in vain." she says pleading to Lara

Lara looks at Nariko deep within her eyes and sees all the pain that she has been through just because of the sword. She then throws back her head with her eyes closed and sighs.

"If I do this will you help me get out of here and off this island." she asks her.

" I will assist in anyway I can." Nariko says

"Fine." she says looking at the sword.

She walks towards it and puts both hands on the handle.

"What if I can't lift it?" she asks looking at her with a panicked expression.

" I know you can. Just trust me."

Looking down at the sword, she closes her eyes and tries to lift it. To her surprise she raises the sword with ease. A bit of energy rushes into her from the sword and she can't help but feel like she owns the sword. The thought quickly leaves her head when she sees gravel coming down the tunnel she came from.

" Lets go!" she shouts

And at that command Nariko quickly walks toward the wall and places her hand on it. She then releases a ball of energy which blows the wall up creating an exit for their escape. Nariko then signals for Lara to follow and they both run into the newly created tunnel. They run like the wind, swiftly dodging stalagmites, sliding under huge rocks above and leap over huge rock ledges without even breaking a sweat.

" You're quick on your feet" Nariko says quite impressed with Lara's agility

"Heh... you're not so bad yourself." she compliments back with a wide grin on her face.

At the end of the tunnel they saw a bright light.

" The exit! We're nearly there." Lara exclaims

" Want to end it with a race to the finish?" Nariko says smirking

" You're on."

And with that they both sprint to the light trying to overtake each other. In the end they both jump out of the tunnel at the same time making it a tie. Nariko then quickly blasts the rocks above the exit causing them to fall and seal the exit. They both fall to the ground breathlessly.

" I... guess... its... a tie." Lara says panting in between.

" Indeed... good race though..."

Lara just smiles feeling the suns rays on her face. She looks up into the sky and thinks to herself. ' _I fell down a cave to find a cursed sword. Then some goddess pops up out of nowhere to tell me to protect and hide it. From one adventure to another. I wonder how this story will play out.'_

* * *

 **I tried to make them fool around a bit at the end to make them seem fun**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: The line leading into the unknown**

'... _From one adventure to another. I wonder how this story will play out.'_

Nariko stands up and offers a hand to help Lara up.

" Come on we haven't got all day." she says with a smile on her face.

Lara returns the smile and takes her hand. With one pull she's already up and dusting herself off. She looks around to see where they are but was lost at the sight of snow everywhere. Lara begins to frown having no clue where there are.

" What's wrong?" Nariko asks getting a bit worried.

Lara sighs

" I have no idea where we are."

Nariko helps Lara look around and luckily spots something in the distance.

" Over there!" She shouts pointing at something that looks like a palace.

Lara quickly walks over to where Nariko is and stares at the huge palace.

" Great. How are we going to get there." Lara says

They both look around for something to get them off the cold mountain. Lara then spots a cable line going down. She walks over to it to see where it goes and more importantly how far down. The only thing the cable leads into is a thick mist.

" Hey Nariko."

" Yes."

" Would you ever zipline into a thick mist having no idea how long it is or where you might land."

" No, why?"

She points her finger at the cable.

" Cause that's what we have to do right now."

Nariko walks over to the cable and looks down at the fog. She closes her eyes then looks at Lara.

" I suppose I would if it takes us off this mountain."

Lara nods and takes out her red axe positioning it on the cable. She then gets into a zipline position putting her hands on both sides of the axe and crouches.

" All aboard." she says smiling at her.

Nariko smiles back. she puts her hands tightly around Lara's waist and crouches behind her.

" You ready?" Lara asks

" I'm ready as I'll ever be."

They both close their eyes and leap off the mountain. After a few seconds Lara opens her eyes to a beautiful view of the island. It was amazing how fast they went from a snow covered wasteland to a beautiful green vista. She notices that Nariko is also admiring the view of the beauty below them.

" Lovely is'nt." Lara says breaking the ice

" Its amazing, in all my years I have never seen anything like this." she says.

Lara can't help but giggle at the way Nariko looks at the view.

" Whats so funny." She says noticing her chuckles

" You look like a child who found something pretty on the floor. Its really cute."

Nariko starts to blush and look back down. Lara starts to blush as well. _' She's so cute when she blushes.'_ The rest of the ride was quiet but peaceful.

* * *

 **Chapter 4: One interesting night**

They land softly on the ground relieved that they didn't fall. Lara gets up and starts to walk in the direction of the palace.

" We may have gotten off the mountain but we still have a long way to go." she says.

"...Nariko?"

She looks back to find Nariko is still at the ledge looking off into the distance. Lara walks back to Nariko and puts a hand on her shoulder.

" You okay?"

" Yeah, I'm just a little overwhelmed by the fact that the sword isn't where Kai hid it." she says still looking back at the mountain. " I wonder how long it must've taken her to get it there."

" Who's Kai." she asks in confusion

" She's- well she was a good friend of mine back at our village." she says looking sad. " She was the one who protected the sword after I died... and she was the one who died trying to hide the sword in my favor." She says with tears streaming down her face.

Lara immediately hugs Nariko tightly with tears forming in her eyes too. She knows how it feels to lose someone you really care about.

" I'm sorry." she says trying to calm her down.

Nariko cries even harder a hugs Lara tightly.

" It's all... my fault." She cries with sobs in between.

" Don't say that. It isn't your fault." Lara says trying to comfort her

"But I... was the... one... who used the sword."

" You didn't have a choice. You had to save your people. Besides Kai hid the sword for you because she loved you so much."

Nariko's cries start to die down but her grip on Lara is still tight.

" And the last thing she'd want to see is you crying for the choice she made, Okay."

Nariko sniffs then smiles.

" You're right. She did it for me and I'll make damn sure that she's proud." she says gaining her strength back. " Thank you."

" My pleasure."

They release each other and begin to laugh. After their last chuckles they start again on their long journey. After 5 long hours of climbing cliffs, fighting soldiers, swimming through rivers and exploring new areas they take refuge in cave. Night falls over the island of Yamatai and both ladies are exhausted. Lara goes out to find water and food while Nariko stays behind to get a fire going. Once the fire is lit she stares out into the woods waiting for Lara come. She looks up at the sky and slowly closes her eyes. _' Oh Kai, why did I ask you to hide the sword. If I hadn't disobeyed fathers orders you could've had a future living in peace and happiness.'_ The small breeze caresses her face and she can't help but wonder what her would've been like if she didn't have the sword. Would it have been better or worse. More importantly would it have been better for Kai. A small rustle pulls Nariko back reality and she immediately stands up, ready for an attack. A small rabbit appears from the bush and hops its way over to Nariko. Nariko bends down to rub the little rabbits head sighing in relief.

" You frightened me little one." she says softly

She stares off into the distance again looking a bit worried. _'Hmm... I wonder where she is. Should it take this long?'_ Getting eager to go out to search for her Lara suddenly appears from behind a tree with deer meat in her hands. Seeing Lara come back with a smile on her face brought great happiness to the warrior.

" Hey hey." Lara says happily " Look what I go-"

She was stopped by a hug from the warrior.

" Whoa, miss me much?" she says returning the hug

" You have no idea."

" But I was only gone for half an hour."

" I know but I still got worried that you might be in trouble."

Lara starts to blush

" You were that worried."

Nariko also starts blushing

" Yes, I already lost one friend, I don't want to lose another."

They stay in silence for a little while, staring at each other with pink faces. They both start to lean in for a kiss but were interrupted by the rabbit pawing at Nariko. Nariko blushes even harder watching the rabbit causing Lara to laugh.

" Who's your friend." she says petting the furry creature.

" I haven't given it a name.

They both try to think of a name for the rabbit.

"That reminds me, I never caught your name." she asks

" Oh how rude of me. My name is Lara Croft. Owner of Croft enterprises and the newest protecter of the Heavenly Sword. Pleased to make your aquaintance." she says bowing before Nariko.

They both burst into laughter at her polite 'gesture'. After their laughs die down, they look at each other almost as if they were soulmates.

" How about Lariko." she says blushing at her once again.

"What?" Nariko asks happily confused.

" Its name. I was thinking of Lariko." she says looking down at the sleeping rabbit.

Nariko smiles softly.

" That's a wonderful name." shes says putting her hand on it next to Lara's.

" Come on, lets eat. I'm starving" Lara says.

Nariko lightly laughs and heads toward the fire to prepare their food. After they finished their dinner they started to talk about their lives laughing at each others embarrassing moments.

" I cannot believed that happened." Nariko says still laughing at the story.

" What you'd expect I was only a child."

They continue to let out a few laughs before quieting down.

" That reminds me. I have a question for you." Nariko asks

"What is it."

" How did you get marooned on this island."

Lara's smile turns into a frown.

" I actually came here with a group of friends on a ship called ' The Endurance'."

" Really?"

" Yeah, we came here to the explore the island of Yamatai and the Legend of the sun queen that my friend Sam told us about. Once we were on our way here, a terrible storm hit us causing the ship to crash. I got seperated from the group and washed ashore on the beach. Then some guy knocks me out and hangs me upside down in some cave."

Tears start to form in her eyes.

" The worst part is 3 good friends of mine died trying to protect me, everyone else is in danger and my best friend is trapped in the palace scared half to death all because of my stupid idea to coming here." she says getting angry with herself

Nariko takes Lara into arms like she had done for her and softly rubbing her back.

" Your idea wasn't stupid Lara. You just wanted to do your best friend a favor like how Kai did for me. I can tell you care for Sam more anything in the world." she says softly

" Sam means everything to me. She's like the sister I've never had."

" You're bond with her is strong."

She then looks at the fire.

" I should've been more like you. Risking everything to protect the person you care about." she says thinking of Kai. The only person to befriend her when everyone else thought she was a punishment from the gods.

" Look. It has been a long day and we're both exhausted. I think it would be best if we rest." she says soothingly.

Lara cools off and starts to smirk

"That rhymed." she says

They both giggle and get ready for bed. Lara lies down on the cold rocky floor using a log as her pillow and starts to dose off. Nariko puts out the fire and goes to sit by the girl to watch her sleep. _'Miss Croft, I feel like you and I are the same. Something about you reminds me of myself and to be honest I'm a little surprised. Perhaps there's more to this story than I'd expect. Well only time will tell.'_

She then closes her eyes and begins to meditate.

* * *

 **I'm not even sure what happened there**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Something in common**

Lara strecthes her arms out wide yawning loudly showing that she got a good night sleep. Nariko can't help but chuckle at her actions of the early morning.

" Have a good night."

" Mmm... Like you wouldn't believe. Who knew a log would actually make an okay pillow.

Nariko happily shakes her head and gets up.

"Well this isn't exactly home sweet home so we might as well get going."

Lara nods her head and motions for Nariko to help her get up. With one pull shes on her feet ready to head out. They take their belongings including little Lariko and walk out of the cave. Lara takes out her map to indicate the direction of the palace and off they go. After a few hours Nariko thinks back to all the fun they had last night. A big smile pops up on her face leaving Lara to wonder whats going on in her head.

" What are you smiling about?" she asks

" Nothing in particular." She replies smirking

Lara grins and continues on.

" Sooo, this Sam girl. How is she like."

" Oh Sam."

Lara blushes and smiles widely.

" Sam's one of my best friend. She's always there for me and I know I can always depend on her. She's like the sister I've never had. I know it's really cheesy but she always gives me the strength to do anything. No one ever believes in me like she does, makes me feel special you know?" She says scratching the back of her head.

Nariko smiles thinking about Kai.

" I know what you mean." she says " Thats how Kai was to me. She always believed me and followed me into to battle no matter what."

She takes a deep breathe.

" You know, when you talk about Sam it reminds me so much of her, how every description you say relates to her in every detail. It brings me joy." She says with a weak smile.

Lara frowns pulling her head down.

"Sorry."

" Don't apologize, I was the one who brought up the topic an-"

" No. I'm sorry that I fell down the hole and took the sword."

Nariko looks at her in surprise.

" If I hadn't been so careless you wouldn't have been stuck her with a burden like me, always reminding you of Kai so much and making you sad." She says with teary eyes.

Nariko simply smiles and wipes away a tear on Lara's face.

" Its ok. I'm actually glad I got to meet you." she says putting her palm on her warm cheek.

" You're not like anyone I know. You're an amazing adventurer who always puts other peoples needs before her own, which is more than I can say for myself." she says pulling her closer.

" And I don't mind getting know you a bit better." She whispers leaning in for a kiss

Unfortunately they interrupted again but this time by an arrow missing Lara.

They both look back to see guards approaching them. Lara immediately pushes Nariko behind her and starts to shoot at the guards. She manages to get 3 but the other two dodged the bullets and quickly took cover.

" Come on." Lara shouts.

" Not this time." Nariko says

She quickly takes off to find the two leaving Lara behind.

"NARIKO!" She shouts after her but it's too late

Nariko runs toward one guard and swiftly throws him in the air, finishing him off with a blast.

She catches the body as falls down and quickly throws him at the other guard. He immediately falls to the ground with a thud. He watches in fear as Nariko leaps onto him, locking his head between her legs a giving it a violent twist ending his life. She looks at the two men in disgust.

" Perhaps in your next life you'll know it's rude to interrupt a lady."

And she walks away returning to Lara. Lara stares at her with her mouth open when she returns.

" What is it." she asks

" Y-y-you took them down with no trouble at all." she says pointing at the dead guards. " They didn't even touch you."

" Really? They weren't much of a challenge." she says closing Lara's mouth with her index finger.

Lara just stares at her in surprise causing Nariko to grin.

" Since you saw what I can do, I don't think it will be wise to make me angry." she says. " Lets go, before we get interrupted again." she says proceeding on.

" Think you teach me some of those moves?"

" Maybe when you're ready."

" But I am. What, are saying I'm unfit."

" Lets go Lara."

" No, if you have anything to say just say it."

" I'm saying lets go." She says, smiling because she knows she's getting on Lara's nerves.

* * *

A good ending to a good day


End file.
